The owner of Zocalo released a statement on Facebook Monday blaming Mother Nature for this pest problem.

He says when it rained a couple of weeks ago, Brush Creek rose and caused the sewers in the Plaza to back up. That in turn caused the pests to retreat into their building.

In his statement, Chris Ridler wrote, “I want to thank our incredible staff who have worked tirelessly over this past week. They tore out affected walls and renovated much of the basement areas to help ensure we don't have this problem again. It has been a true testament to all of their character as we overcame this obstacle.”

The cockroach problem came to light two weeks ago, when health inspectors visited the restaurant and found roaches crawling in and out of walls.

They also found dead roaches scattered throughout the basement.

They told the owner to take care of the problem but four follow-up inspections revealed the roaches were still there.

Inspectors then forced the owner to close the restaurant until they could get rid of the pests.

The work they did in the restaurant’s basement over the weekend appears to have worked as the owner wrote they have, “completely remedied the situation”, and they will completely reopen for business Tuesday.

He went on to thank the customers for their patience while they were closed over the weekend and said customers who show his staff his statement on Facebook will get a free cheese dip for the rest of this month.

City inspections

June 22
Observed live baby roaches behind fry freezer, on the side of Pepsi reach-in cooler, and basement area by restroom wall baseboard. Inspector observed a total of 3 live roaches.
Comply by June 25

June 20
Observed two live nymph cockroaches on the floor near the rear exterior door. Observed one live juvenile cockroach on the wall by the reach-in cooler near the rear exterior door.
Comply by: June 23

June 17Observed live baby roach coming out of drain in front of reach-in cooler. Observed live roach run up the leg of prep table.
Comply by: June 20

June 16
Observed a dead roach on the dishwashing counter. Manager discarded the roach. Observed live roaches in the clock on the wall by the large ice machine. Observed a dead roach and egg sack on the floor underneath the back ventilation hood. Observed some live roaches on the floor underneath the Reach-in Warmer. Observed some dead roaches on the floor underneath the back two compartment sink. Observed some live roaches coming out of the wall underneath the back two compartment sink. Observed some live roaches on the floor behind the Pepsi Cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed some live roaches on the wall above the Pepsi Cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed some live roaches in the crack in the ceiling above the Pepsi Cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed some dead roaches on the floor by the back Pepsi Cooler by the back exit door. Observed some live roaches on the wall and floor by the back Pepsi Cooler. Observed some live roaches in the cracks at the tops of the floor to wall tiles by the back Pepsi Coolers. Observed some dead roaches on the floor by the steps leading downstairs. Observed some live roaches on the walls leading downstairs. Observed a live roach on the wall by the hot water heater. Observed some live roaches on the wall and floors by the storage racks by the Walk-in Cooler. Observed a live roach on the front of the Walk-in Cooler door. Observed a dead roach on the floor behind the Pepsi Coolers downstairs. Observed a live roach on the wall by the locked storage room downstairs. Observed some live roaches coming out of the pipe on the wall by the locked storage room downstairs. Observed a live roach on the ceiling in the hallway leading to the employee restroom downstairs. Observed dead roaches on the floor and in the loose floor to wall juncture by the rack next to the employee restroom downstairs. Observed some live roaches on the wall and floors in the locked storage room downstairs. Observed some live roaches on the floor and wall by the chemical storage racks downstairs. Observed a live roach on one of the electrical boxes on the wall downstairs. Observed several roaches inside of the boxes of single service items on the storage racks downstairs. Observed a live roach on the pipe on the ceiling in the locker room area downstairs. Observed some live roaches on the floor at the bar by the front Reach-in Cooler and behind the dishwasher.

Comply by: June 19June 15Observed numerous roaches coming out of the missing floor to wall tile on the steps by the back exit door. Observed a roach crawling in the crack in the ceiling above the Pepsi cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed a roach on the wall by the Pepsi cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed numerous roaches crawling in and out of the lower wall to the left of the Pepsi cooler by the Alto Sham. Observed numerous roaches crawling out of the top of the loose floor to wall tile behind the dish rack by the Pepsi cooler by the back exit door. Observed numerous roaches crawling up the wall behind the Pepsi cooler by the back exit door. Observed a roach crawling behind the cork board on the wall behind the dish rack by the electrical boxes on the wall by the stairs leading downstairs. Observed roaches crawling on the floor underneath the dish racks by the stairs leading downstairs. Observed roaches crawling on the floor underneath the storage racks by the Walk-in Cooler downstairs. Observed roaches crawling on the walls by the storage racks by the Walk-in Cooler. Observed roaches crawling on the floor by the Pepsi coolers downstairs. Observed roaches crawling on the floors in the hallway by the restroom in the basement. Observed numerous dead roaches on the floor throughout the entire basement. Observed numerous roaches crawling on the floor in the employee restroom downstairs.